Annex A > Chapter 14 - Care in the Operating Theatre and the `Learning Curve' > Care in the operating theatre > The role of the cardiologists
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The role of the cardiologists
54 The cardiologists also had a role, albeit limited, in surgery at the BRI and were sometimes called to theatre. As in the case of pre- and post-operative care (dealt with in Chapter 13 - Pre-operative Care and Chapter 15 - Post-operative Care their involvement was affected by the split site: the fact that they were based at the BRHSC, whilst open-heart surgery was performed at the BRI.
55 Of the involvement of the cardiologists in theatre, Dr Underwood told the Inquiry that it was her impression that on occasion the surgeons were surprised by some of the anatomy that they found once surgery had begun. Her evidence included this exchange:
`Q. On occasion? How often can you remember that happening?
`A. I would put it in the "from time to time" rather than "regularly".
`Q. When that happened, was it ever a response to call for the cardiologist to come over and have a look?
`A. That was rarer; partly the physical problem of coming from one hospital to another, but certainly, cardiologists did come to theatre on occasion.' [71]
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